[Ads-l] Request help verifying 1959 quotation from journalist Edward R. Murrow.

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

This message is a follow-up to the request I sent to the list on May
21. The Quote Investigator website now has an entry on the topic of
the request:

When the Politicians Complain That Television Turns Their Proceedings
into a Circus, It Should Be Made Plain That the Circus Was Already
There...

http://quoteinvestigator.com/2016/05/30/political-circus/

The acknowledgement mentioned some mailing list members who helped.

[Begin excerpt]
Great thanks to David Craig whose inquiry led QI to formulate this
question and perform this exploration. Special thanks to Stephen
Goranson for accessing the 1959 book citation. Also, thanks to the
Digital Collections and Archives at Tufts University who sent QI the
precise text in “Dons or Crooners?” In addition, thanks to John Baker
who pointed out the 2013 citation, and to Sue Kamm who suggested
contacting Tufts. Many thanks to Peter Reitan who found the 1919
illustration. All errors are the responsibility of QI.
[End excerpt]

Garson


On Tue, May 24, 2016 at 11:23 AM, Baker, John <JBAKER at stradley.com> wrote:
> A Documentary History of the United States, https://books.google.com/books?id=GEun0OdclpQC&pg=PT243&lpg=PT243&dq=%22turns+their+proceedings+into+a+circus%22&source=bl&ots=6qYPoqe_bR&sig=WhVTbFhNhwr4gvsf84mgRvcqYoM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiIw6io__LMAhWCbB4KHUecCJAQ6AEIPDAG#v=onepage&q=%22turns%20their%20proceedings%20into%20a%20circus%22&f=false, says that this is from Murrow's 1959 "Guildhall Speech on "Television and Politics"" and gives fairly full text, including the paragraph in question.  I don't know how authoritative this source is.
>
>
> John Baker
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of ADSGarson O'Toole
> Sent: Saturday, May 21, 2016 3:33 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Request help verifying 1959 quotation from journalist Edward R. Murrow.
>
> I've been asked to trace a quotation that was used in a political
> cartoon by the artist David Horsey of The Los Angeles Times in March
> 2016. The words in the cartoon were attributed to the prominent
> journalist Edward R. Murrow.
>
> http://www.latimes.com/opinion/topoftheticket/la-na-tt-clown-president-20160314-story.html
>
> One book asserts that these words were spoken by Murrow during the
> Second Granada Lecture in October 1959. There are multiple matches in
> Google Books, and it would be great if some list member could help to
> verify a contemporaneous citation circa 1959 on paper.
>
> Periodical: The Twentieth Century
> Volume 166
> Month: Unknown
> Publisher: Nineteenth Century and After, London
> Article: Television and Politics (I)
> Author: Ed Murrow (Edward R. Murrow)
> Start Page 382, Quote Page 384
> Database: Google Books Snippet Match
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> When the politicians complain, as they have in several countries, that
> television turns their proceedings into a circus, it should be made
> clear that the circus was already there, and that television has
> merely demonstrated that not all the performers are well trained.
> [End excerpt]
>
> The following two citations may refer to the same book (or the same
> content) published (or cataloged) under different names.
>
> Year: 1959
> Book: Dons Or Crooners?: Three Lectures on the Subject of
> Communication in the Modern World
> Author: British Association for the Advancement of Science
> Series: Granada Guildhall Lectures
> Publisher: Granada TV, London
> Article: Television and Politics
> Author: Edward R. Murrow
> Start Page Unknown, Quote Page 76
> (The lecture title "Television and Politics" is displayed on page 45)
> Database: Google Books Snippet Match
>
> Year: 1959
> Book: British Association Granada Lectures (Granada Guildhall Lectures)
> Publisher: Granada TV, London
> Article: Television and Politics
> Author: Edward R. Murrow
> Start Page Unknown, Quote Page 76
> (The lecture title "Television and Politics" is displayed on page 45)
> Database: Google Books Snippet Match
>
> The goal is to obtain a complete and accurate citation together with
> the correct text. The text in the Horsey cartoon appears to be
> streamlined. If you could access one of these citations and create a
> few scans of the pages showing the full citation data that would be
> great.
>
> Below is a 1960 newspaper citation displaying streamlined text:
>
> [ref] 1960 January 20, The Times Record (Troy Times Record), Quotable
> Quotes, Quote Page 12, Column 6, Troy, New York.
> (NewspaperArchive)[/ref]
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> Quotable Quotes
>
> "When the politicians complain that TV turns their proceedings into a
> circus, it should be made clear that the circus was already there, and
> that TV has merely demonstrated that not all the performers are well
> trained."—Edward R. Murrow.
> [End excerpt]
>
> Garson
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org